Ansible Fundamentals

Module 1: Introduction to Ansible
– What is Ansible?
– Ansible in DevOps World
– What Ansible Automates
– A short comparison of Ansible, Chef, Puppet and SaltStack
– Ansible History
– Installing Ansible
Hands-on Lab: Installing Ansible on the control node

Module 2: Running Ad Hoc Commands
– Ansible Architecture
– Automation Engine
– Ansible Configuration File overview
– Ansible command syntax explained
– Authenticating Ansible Connections
Hands-on Lab: Testing Ansible connection to remote servers using password and key-based authentication methods by running Ad-Hoc commands.

Module 3: Host Inventories
– Using a dedicated user
– Configuring key-based authentication walkthrough
– Working with static host inventories
Hands-on Lab: Performing a full setup of our hosts (create a dedicated user, authenticate the user with key-based authentication, give sudo permissions, static host inventory, set the “default” inventory, test “ansible” command) in order to be prepared for managing with Ansible playbooks.

Module 4: YAML Overview. Basic Playbooks
– YAML overview
– Modules, Tasks, Plays, Playbooks
– General Playbook Structure
– Commonly used Modules (Service, Copy, Debug, File, Git, User, etc.)
– Task Results (OK vs changed vs failed)
– Validating the Result
– Writing Idempotent Tasks
Hands-on Labs:
– Learn how to write and use Ansible Playbooks. Use Ansible to prepare hosts for Ansible
– Commonly used modules: User and group modules, file module, copy module, lineinfile module
– Raw vs Command vs Shell
– Task results: OK vs Changed vs Failed

Module 5: Basic Ansible Playbooks, Loops and Conditions
– What are Facts
– Fact Gathering
– Turn off fact gathering
– Custom facts
– Variable definition
– What are Loops
– Using Conditions
– Multiple Conditions
– Combining Loops and Conditions
Hands-on Labs:
– Reading and using Ansible facts. Facts vs variables. Loops and conditions
– Installing a webserver using Ansible

Module 6: Ansible Modules Deep Dive. Writing Idempotent Playbooks.
– An in-depth approach to modules
– Idempotent playbooks
Hands-on Lab:
– Ansible Modules Deep Dive

Module 7: Facts. Variables. Templates
– Templates Basics
– Template Module with examples
– Filters
– Checking a Template
Hands-on Labs:
– Using Jinja2 templates in Ansible in order to apply custom modifications
– Using Jinja filters (number, IP address, hashing, random, shuffle, list filters)
– Configuring webservers using Ansible

Module 8: Ansible Vault. Roles. First Steps to Building Reusable Playbooks
– Ansible Vault with encrypted files
– Using Playbooks with Vault
– Managing Vault Files
– Roles. Organizing Ansible Contents
– Directory Layout best practices
– Role Structure, Variables and Location
Hands-on Labs:
– Learn how to use Ansible Vault and how to manage sensitive data like passwords or keys in encrypted files.
– Understand Ansible roles. Create a role for configuring a reverse proxy / load balancer for our webservers.